yes i will eat it! i don't agree with that kill it and throw it, if you don't like it then ask around someone will eat it. it is all in how it's taken care of, my girlfriend never hunted no one in her family hunted but she tried bear meat and loves it.

 

I can't see anything at all wrong with scenario 1. Scenario 2, I can't understand. Why would someone waste all that meat? If you don't want it, then donate it. Someone can use it.

 

I have ate plenty of bear burgers done right they are good.

 

Never tried it, but yes I will eat it. If I end up not liking it, I am sure I will find someone who will take the rest of it.

 

I believe the reason people don't care for bear meat is its not quickly processed ........by the time you harvest, remove it from the woods,drive to the check station ,wait in line and eventually have it weighed tooth pulled and then drive around showing all your harvest the whole time wrapped in a big black fur coat in 50 degree temps the meat is spoiled

 

Exactly! When you hunt anything you need a plan of how to get the best product possible from your potential harvest. Get some good field pics to show off "after" the animal is skinned and cooling down.

To answer my own question; yes I will be eating bear if I get lucky. We want to try canning some if the opportunity presents itself.

 

I tried bear one time and liked it.... I would be happy to eat it again, but will trust my butchers take on the quality of the meat.... For those that dont want the meet of any edible animal - reach out to some of the charitable organizations. I stopped by the City Mission in Washington Pa to see if they would take venison - they told me absolutely yes.

 

I will not harvest an animal I or my family will not eat. ted4prez brings up a great point if you don't need all of the meat or you want to share there are many places around that could put the meat to good use.

 

If anyone wants to donate me their meat I'd gladly accept and pay for processing!

Can't even fathom wasting it!

 

yes, I absolutely love bear meat.

 

most of the bear we have eaten have been good. However one year my dad shot a very large bear. 500+ lbs...till they got it out..took it to the check station where the PGC fooled him around for a couple hrs...sorry, but it's true..It was warm and my dad wanted to get the heck out of there ,and get home and get butchering...by the time he was finally able to get back home..Get it butchered the meat was just terrible, ...We are far from inexperienced..

And the whole ordeal was simply INEXCUSABLE!! ..but other than that bear, it has all been good.

 

give em to the Amish

 

some of the best meat I ever ate. at least try it

 

most of the bear we have eaten have been good. However one year my dad shot a very large bear. 500+ lbs...till they got it out..took it to the check station where the PGC fooled him around for a couple hrs...sorry, but it's true..It was warm and my dad wanted to get the heck out of there ,and get home and get butchering...by the time he was finally able to get back home..Get it butchered the meat was just terrible, ...We are far from inexperienced..

And the whole ordeal was simply INEXCUSABLE!! ..but other than that bear, it has all been good.

why did they fool him around?

 

I wasn't there...But i think it had something to do with it being such a big bear...Problem with the scales who knows ? but i think it took like 2 1/2hrs till he got out of there.

Combine that with the time it took to get it out, the over an hr drive to the check station, and the drive back home, that's to much fooling around.

The whole thing disgusted my dad so much he don't even bear hunt anymore. That was his second bear. First one was smaller and it was cooler, so was good eating.

My son got one in clinton county, years back same deal..temps in the upper 40's got the thing out loaded and hauled to the check station..till we were able to FINALLY!! get home it was getting way to long.
It was however still ok ,but was starting to smell kinda sour. I was a little worried about it, but it was fine, not bad eating.

What so many people don't realize is a bear simply does not cool down like a deer does.

I'm to the point that i only hunt with a bow anymore...could care less about getting one with a gun...WAY! to much fooling around. I like to eat what i kill, and if you happen to get a big one, with what it takes to get it out, then you gotta haul it to the check station, if it's late you got to wait till the next day...NO THANKS!

One thing we learned is the best eating bear are ones you can get skinned out and quartered and get all that fat off as soon as possible....Dad said if he had to do it over again he would have butchered it..then took the cooled down meat , fat and hide to the check station. Whether they liked it or not

 

Do you folks all eat your foxes, yotes , bobcats , possums, coons ? IMO, bears are another large furbearing predator. Sure, you COULD eat it, but I'm not sure I would feel an obligation. Some folks hunt bear for the trophy, some hunt bear for population control and crop damage. I saw an old farmer bring a 600#er in to the check station one year. People asked him if he was gonna mount it. He said, heck no! Gonna roll it over the bank with the front end loaded bury it. It was wreaking havoc on his corn field. Someone cried foul and asked the WCO if he could do that or had to use it. He replied that after it was tagged checked and processed they really didn't care what he did with it. Id love to get a nice bear for the trophy, but I've had the meat and heard enough other horror stories about the meat and even parasites that I may or may not choose to eat it, but I won't feel obligated to. They are a large varmint, IMO. Kkeep in mind many folks lose their meat to spoilage. Even field dressing, the fat and hide hold in a lot of heat.

 

most of the people i know that dont like bear meat didnt process it correctly i had my first one done by a guy that has done it for years and told him just to keep the meat he kept that meat and told me i would reget it he gave me a couple steaks and a roast and i did reget it i was great the second one i kept and canned alot of it had a few steaks the back straps and had some baloney made and it was all amazing the back straps were better then any deer i ever had and i eat deer like most eat beef. if anyone out there kills one and doesnt want the meet pm me ill take it off your hands for ya

 

I don't know why people blame the pgc for their bear spoiling. I would pretty much expect a delay at a check station, especially if one goes in the evening. It's not like you don't know you have to go there before you shoot the bear. Take the necessary provisions with you, get the bear dressed, skinned, quartered, etc. then take it to the check station.

 

I wouldn't shoot a bear because I wouldn't eat The meat

 

I don't know why people blame the pgc for their bear spoiling. I would pretty much expect a delay at a check station, especially if one goes in the evening. It's not like you don't know you have to go there before you shoot the bear. Take the necessary provisions with you, get the bear dressed, skinned, quartered, etc. then take it to the check station.

You ever try this?

 

Has anyone tried canning bear meat? Curious how it would turn out.

 

I don't know why people blame the pgc for their bear spoiling. I would pretty much expect a delay at a check station, especially if one goes in the evening. It's not like you don't know you have to go there before you shoot the bear. Take the necessary provisions with you, get the bear dressed, skinned, quartered, etc. then take it to the check station.

Is it legal to cut it up before getting it checked?

 

Yes

 

Had a company come in and season it like a pig and cooked it on a spit. Was awsome!

 

I don't hunt bears mainly because of the logistics of dealing with the bear once killed. I'd feel wrong aboutnot eating it, I'm alone so if it had any size to it, I wouldn't be able to get it out of the woods, I dont butcher myself and know nobody that does. I've never eaten it so I'm not sure if I like it or not but I'd hate to somehow kill one, get it butchered, only to find I had a hundred pounds of meat I couldn't eat.

That said, I love to hunt and wouldn't mind a nice rug....but I wont kill one for only those reasons.